One Woman's Search for Peace, Beauty, and the Perfect Margarita

Tag Archives: Donald Miller

Yesterday I told you about what a perfect weekend we’re having here in Puerto Penasco, and I also shared that we are co-habitating with a roach the size of a Buick. Last night, our paths crossed again (cue horror movie music).

Let me begin this story by telling you that we almost didn’t make it out for dinner because I was so enraptured by the sunset. Clouds in the sky over the ocean = fantastic sunset. (No clouds? Eh, the sun goes into the ocean, blah blah, it’s fine.) But last night’s sky looked as if it were on FIRE with pinks and oranges and reds all striped over each other, and every minute it changed, and then it got darker and then there were hues of purple and even the shape of it changed. I tore myself away from the first part to smooth my hair and apply some mascara, and on the drive up Whale Hill to the restaurant, I just kept ooohing and aaaahing because it was seriously A Moment of Extreme Beauty which I will always remember. The restaurant was full; we drove down to the malecon and I snapped a beautiful photo of the brilliant sky over the parking lot next to Flavio’s. I know that doesn’t sound exactly “delightful” but I was really happy with the juxtaposition of this amazing effect of nature over a dusty parking lot full of old cars—the light and shadows were so cool.

We had a terrible dinner at Mary’s Seafood. Almost inedible. I gave them a brutal yelp review, which was well deserved. Thumbs up for a fantastic margarita and good service though!

We arrived back home, turned on the kitchen lights and EEEEEEKK!!!!! Buick the Roach was sniffing at a small spot of bacon grease on the stove top. My mind did this amazing analysis of the situation, sort of like what Sherlock Holmes does in the recent Guy Ritchie movies. Everything slowed down. I considered attempting to pull a spatula from the jar of utensils which was situated BEHIND the roach and that scenario played out with the roach running away. I surveyed the kitchen island to my right and saw nothing useful in killing/stunning a roach. So I picked up the heavy ceramic spoon rest and SMASH! With the agility one would expect from a person who has just consumed a plate of heavy fried seafood and a margarita as big as her head, I hit Buick with that spoon rest, screaming out a warrior’s cry, “HIYA!!!” And much to Hubby’s and my chagrin, the spoon rest broke in two and Buick ran back into the hole behind the cupboards, laughing and calling me nasty names in Spanish (words that cannot, dear Reader, be repeated here).

The spoon rest was placed in the trashcan after a brief discussion about trying to glue it back together and rapidly coming to the conclusion that spoon rests are completely unnecessary objects and whoever invented them should be ashamed of themselves. We hope the condo co-owner who buys these silly decorative items will not miss the Very Important Spoon Rest.

During all of this excitement, we noticed the windows whistling. We slid open the glass door to the beach, and HOLY MOSES, the wind was INTENSE. Amazing might be the better word. All outside condo lights were off, but the moon was shining so brightly that the entire beach was illuminated. I stepped off the patio onto the sand and instinctively spread my arms out to feel the strong, warm wind. It buffeted my entire body—that’s how powerful it was. Hubby came out and put his arms out, too. From nine til midnight I sat outside in the wind, listening to music on my headphones and occasionally following the path made by the moon down to the high tide, rolling up my pant legs to wade into the warm ocean. It was simply glorious. If anyone was watching from their patio, they probably were concerned for this middle-aged, clearly-deranged woman who kept walking down the beach to visit the night ocean.

The only bad news from the weekend (apart from Buick escaping) is that all attempts at protecting my face from sunburn failed. I’m as pink as a pig, which is bad enough on its own but also typically results in a big nose pimple. That should be popping up on Thursday morning as I head to work (I am subbing at my year-round school later this week). I swear to you I applied sunscreen and wore a hat and stayed mostly in the shade. It honestly feels quite lovely to be in my fifties and not really care what people think anymore.

I will end by telling you about the book I’m reading and cannot put down. Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road is written by a modern-day philosopher and all-around-super-smart guy named Donald Miller. His writing is beautiful and honest and thought provoking–I am smitten. I watched a recent interview where he caught a lot of grief by saying he doesn’t really feel God when he’s at church. Though he is Christian (and my beliefs are a bit of this and a bit of that) I found him simply charming and relevant to my world view. Here is a passage from the book which resonated with me today:

“It’s interesting how you sometimes have to leave home before you can ask difficult questions, how the questions never come up in the room you grew up in, in the town in which you were born. It’s funny how you can’t ask difficult questions in a familiar place, how you have to stand back a few feet and see things in a new way before you realize nothing that is happening to you is normal.”

I find this to be 100% true, which is why I love to travel. Getting away gives my mind space to question, space to forgive myself for not leading the perfect life, and space to imagine. As much as I love getting away, I love returning home with the hopes of trying to be just a little bit better/different/happier.